1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus provided with a mechanism for recording on a recording medium of a large thickness and a high bending rigidity.
2. Related Background Art
For recording on a recording medium of a large thickness in a recording apparatus such as an ink jet recording apparatus, several systems have been proposed or practiced. In all these systems, a straight path for the recording medium is provided in an ordinary recording apparatus, and the recording medium is conveyed by a sheet conveying roller same as that used for conveying a recording medium of an ordinary thickness.
Among these, there is known a recording apparatus disclosed in US-2002-067940 in which the user inserts a thick recording medium by once separating a pair of sheet conveying rollers maintained in mutual press-contact, then returns the sheet conveying rollers in a mutually press-contacted state and the rollers are rotated to convey such thick recording medium. There is also commercialized a system in which the thick recording medium is formed in a thin tapered shape at a front end thereof so as to be spontaneously introduced in a nip of the paired sheet conveying rollers, whereby introduction and conveying of the thick recording medium are achieved by the rotation of the paired sheet conveying rollers.
However such prior technologies have been associated with certain limitations. As one of such limitations, the user is required to execute an operation of separating the paired sheet conveying rollers and an operation of bringing the rollers in mutual press-contact again prior to the start of a recording operation. For this reason, certain complex operations are necessary and the operability is deteriorated.
Also the system in which the thick recording medium is formed in the thin tapered shape at the front end thereof can only utilize an exclusive thick recording medium formed in such shape and is unable to execute recording on an ordinary thick recording medium.